21,065 Shares in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Acquired by Leelyn Smith LLC

Leelyn Smith LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 21,065 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,656,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $118.13 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $100.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $120.79 and a 200-day moving average of $127.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.